Fall 2007 Ministry Team Reatreat

Tattoo (v.) - To mark a person or part of the body with a design that cannot be removed or forgotten.

All of us are “tattooed”…by life; by sin; by experiences; by hurts; by choices. But, as a child of God, these “tattoos” do not define us. Instead, our defining “tattoo” is established by the marks of Jesus Christ, literally. Because of the nail marks on His hands and feet, we are forever marked as a child of God…we are “tattooed” by Him…and we can never be removed from His grace.

This Truth was the focus of this year’s ministry team retreat. Over the Labor Day weekend, the students serving on ministry teams and our staff team grabbed our sleeping bags and headed to Doe River Gorge. For 48 hours, 50 of us spent time at DRG discussing the various “tattoos” of our life. And, the greatest “Tattoo” of all…Christ’s mark on each of our lives.

The weekend was full of laughter, teaching, games, worship, pranks, and intimate times with the Lord. Our prayer was that students would walk away from the weekend with a greater knowledge of each other and with a deeper understanding of who they are because of Christ. The Father definitely answered that prayer!

New semester, new opportunity!

As we continue to pray, God is continually fulfilling His purpose on ETSU’s campus, blessing us with more and more opportunities for outreach!
Through these first three weeks of school, there has definitely been no shortage of outreach opportunities. Through handing out ice cream sandwiches and hosting a Field Day on the first day of class, a free Firehouse BBQ night at The Well, and weekly Monday night Class ’11 freshman events, we have had the opportunity to meet many of the new students here on ETSU’s campus. Each of these opportunities have allowed students to meet, catch up, chat and connect. And, they also create very valuable opportunities for conversation about Jesus Christ!
At the field day, we had the opportunity to meet over 60 new faces, to have some fun, and then to have some good conversation at the cookout that followed. Even more students came to the cookout later that evening, and it was really spectacular to begin to see the upperclassmen begin to interact with the new students. The same was true when Tom Seaton and the Firehouse Restaurant provided us with free BBQ and desserts before our second gathering of The Well. This offered a draw to many students, both freshmen and upperclassmen. Everyone gets excited about free food! Oh, and I shouldn’t forget to mention Mr. Williamson, our faithful barn dance caller. Great food…great entertainment…great time!
All of these events have played a very important role in getting students to a place (physically) where they can hear the Word of God, and thus have been vital to the 4 souls saved thus far and the more than 75 others who have told us of their desire and commitment to relinquish idols and follow hard after God. What a work God is doing…and we are only in week 3!
The amazing relationships that God is bringing about through these outreach events continue to move us all to awe. We have had so many requests from students for accountability partners, small groups, and someone to walk alongside them as they dive deeper into their relationship with Christ that we are scrambling to keep up with them all! Continue to pray with us that we will lean ever harder on God’s provision and blessings as we strive to bring college students from this area to a more intimate, saving knowledge of His love!

And we're off!!

After months of planning and anticipating, the Fall 2007 semester has begun. And, what a great beginning is has been!

The week leading to the first day of classes is always one that is jam-packed for us. This year was no exception. After days of preparing mail outs, stuffing mailboxes, counting flyers, hanging posters and tying t-shirts, we were all set to help the freshmen move-in. For several hours the Thursday before school began, about 30 of us from The Well teamed up with folks from other campus organizations to take boxes, bedding, clothes, TVs, refrigerators, and all kinds of odds and ends up flights of stairs. And, while the freshmen were getting established in their home-away-from-home, we were establishing relationships…one box and suitcase at a time.

The next day, we were invited to join with Preview, the ETSU program designed to help freshman adjust to college life in a fun and interactive way, to expose students to the opportunities available to them. Over the course of an hour and a half, several of us were bombarded with the new faces of freshmen…and several familiar faces from Move-in Day. When the last student had passed by our table, we were exhausted, hoarse, and extremely excited about the year ahead.

A couple of days later, ETSU’s Fall 2007 semester officially began. And, we were on campus celebrating with 2,000 ice cream sandwiches…thanks to our friends at Food City. For several hours on the first day of class, we handed out t-shirts, ice cream sandwiches and personal invitations to join us at The Well each week. As each of our staff and many of our students talked with student after student, I was reminded that perhaps the greatest part of the start of a new semester is the promise of great possibilities. Each face we encountered was a face that is loved and pursued by Christ. Some already knew of that Truth…some have since learned that Truth…and others have yet to learn.

Please pray with us as we seek to serve, love, and share Truth with the college students in the Tri-Cities area. The possibilities that God desires to make into reality are endless!